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One of the most common mistakes made by a lot of people is to put a lot of stress on a cold engine. It's always best to leave the car running for about a minute or so, before applying some throttle. Don't let your engine run to optimum temperature, DRIVE your car to get on temperature. If you start the engine on a cold winter day and wait inside your house for it to warm up, the gearbox and drivetrain is still untouched and cold. Only five minutes of normal driving is what it takes to get to the normal running temperature, and your car's components will live a lot longer.

In cold temperatures it will take a little longer but it's essential that you have a good working battery installed. Moving all the cold parts requires greater energy, so a 3 year old battery can give you trouble in the winter. Don't run the electric defroster if it's not needed anymore. The battery transforms electricity to heat and while this is comfortable in the winter, it drains extra energy from your battery. It won't do any harm to use it when needed, but when the window is clear simply turn it off. Winter is hard enough already for the battery. The car only regenerates some power back to the battery, it will not fully charge it. Also a common misconception.

As a last tip for the freezing weather, when you want to start your car, refrain from using your wipers to wipe away the last snow. Instead wait until the glass is defrosted so you won't tear up the blades, the wipers are resting on the glass and the blades will probably have frozen up onto your windshield. Winter is hell for cars so if you have any appreciation for your vehicle you'll put it somewhere inside, away from the rough elements.